Courtney did all that while she was gaining a distinction in her grade 3 musical theatre and grade 1 solo acting exams, and passing her SATs at school.

The Shotton Hall Academy pupil will be hoping for even more success after being nominated for this year’s Best of Hartlepool competition.

Annmarie, 29, said: “I am so proud of how she has done in the last two years. She comes in from school, does her homework and then she practises singing every night.”

Courtney, from Hesleden, always had a great voice, but it became even better after singing lessons two years ago, said Annmarie who is married to Paul, 30, and also has two other children Paul, nine, and Melissa, seven.

“It would be amazing if she did win, but it is more about recognising how well she is doing.

“She works really hard and never really goes out with her friends as she is always busy.”

Courtney joins a growing list of entries for this year’s competition. The Best of Hartlepool awards are being held in association with Niramax, and in which Specsavers, Stagecoach North East and Hart Biologicals are category sponsors. The deadline for entries is Saturday, April 2. Then judges will draw up a shortlist.

After that, it’s on to the grand finale at the Hardwick Hall Hotel on Tuesday, April 26.

The awards will honour unsung stars. To nominate, send your name, address and telephone number, the name of the business or person you wish to nominate, along with their address, telephone number and email (if known).

State which category your nomination applies to (from the list of categories) and provide a description of the reasons for your nomination (no more than 300 words.